"Brooke? BROOKE! Where are you! Hello? Anybody?"
Nothing
I began to cry. Where is she? All I can see is white for miles around. Then there she is. Brooke. Multiple Brookes all around me in a circle. I look closer and then I see it. Her body is mangled and torn apart and she is covered in blood and her eyes are just white orbs.
"Why didn't you save us Aria?" they all said in unison. "You did nothing when we needed you. You killed us. Not the titan but you did. We trusted you and you killed us. You killed us. You killed us. You killed us…."
They began to get louder and I was so afraid that I started screaming. Then it all went black.
I bolted upright from my patch of straw on the floor. I was heaving out breaths and I was covered in a layer of cold sweat that made my skin glimmer. I looked up to see a boy that looked about my age who was looking at me worriedly. He had chin length golden hair and warm blue eyes. He wore a tan shirt and a green sweater over it.
"Are you okay? You were screaming an awful lot in your sleep and you look like your covered in blood." He asked with concern. I hated that look. It's the same look that people have been giving me for years.
"I'm fine. Just a nightmare is all. And stop looking at me like I'm some kicked puppy. I don't want your pity." I said then I tried to get up and was met with a realization.
"Hey, where are we? I fell asleep on the boat and I don't remember getting off." I asked the boy.
"We're in an old storehouse in Trost that was turned into a refugee center for the survivors of wall Maria. You don't remember getting off because you were still asleep. You were carried over here by a member of the Recon Corps. She told me to keep an eye on you and then the rest of her squad came to get her." He answered politely." Also um, if I may ask, who is Brooke? You were saying her name in your sleep." I looked down at myself and saw the blood that was splattered over me. It was Brooke's.
"Brooke was my best friend. We were together when the titans came. But Brooke didn't make it in time. I only made it because that soldier was practically dragging me. But Brooke was eaten and there was nothing I could do about it. This blood is hers, not mine." I said with anger.
"Oh. I'm so sorry! I didn't know and-"
"Its fine really, you couldn't have known. Anyway I'm Aria. What's your name?" I asked. Not because I actually cared though. I was just trying to change the subject.
"I'm Armin, Armin Arlert." He replied.
"So…. I'm back in Trost then. It's been months since I've seen this filthy city. Are they still having that famine?" I asked cynically
"Yeah, we being here are only making it worse but at least we're getting something. And hey my friends and I were going to go get some bread. Do you want to come with us?"
"No thanks but is there like a creek or something that I can take a bath in? I'm filthy and I hate it." I asked. He pointed me towards a small creek out back behind the building and I left him. The creek was cold and filled with dirt but at least I was able to get the blood off my skin and clothes. When I was finished I watched the last piece of Brooke I had left flow downstream, gone like everything else I loved. I thought 'what would Brooke want me to do now? She never did get vengeance on the titans for taking her parents who were members of the Recon Corps. I think it should be my duty to avenge them and now her by slaughtering the titans like they slaughter humans.' I decided that when I turn 12 I would join the military and train to join the Recon Corps. I would avenge Brooke, her parents, and everyone else that has died at the hands of a titan.
-Two years later-
"Who the hell are you?"
"Armin Arlert from Shiganshina sir!"
"And why are you here?"
"To contribute to humanity's survival sir!"
"Good! We can feed you to the titans then, third row about face."
It was the day of our rite of passage into the Training Corps and we were graced with the presence of commander Keith Shadis. He was a fairly tall man with a bald head and dark, suntanned skin. His eyes were dark and sunken in and had dark bags beneath them as if he never slept. I could see that as he was a former commander of the Recon Corps. The third row turned around to face the fourth row on his command. He had been yelling at the new trainees like this who didn't have a certain look in their eyes. I wasn't sure how he was going to deal with me though. I was wearing a smirk that was meant to say 'I know I'm better than you. Deal with it.' He began to walk down the fourth row. He stopped in front of a guy who had a two toned brown undercut and a long horse like face. He wore the same smirk as me.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Jean Kirstein of Trost Sir!"
'No freaking way'
"And why have you come here horse-face?"
"To join the Military Police and live in the interior."
'Holy shit!'
"Well alright then" and just as he was about to walk away he brought his head to Jean's in a brutal head-butt that sent Jean to his knees in pain. "If you don't want to lose a couple inches then you best be able to handle that before you even think about joining the Military Police." I began to snicker uncontrollably. That was so Jean, too cocky for his own good. Shadis's head whipped around and I would have noticed if I wasn't doubled over now laughing hysterically. I didn't notice he was in front of me until he yanked me back up by the collar of my jacket and stared into my eyes, enraged by my outburst.
"And just who the hell are you, cadet?"
"Aria Rebelle sir, I am going to join the Recon Corps and get vengeance on the titans for taking my best friend. I bet you don't have a witty retort for that baldy." Needless to say he didn't so he just kneed me in the stomach and left me on the ground. It hurt but it was totally worth it. I didn't even hear the rest of the cadet's names. I wasn't paying any attention to them. Only thinking about how happy I was to see Jean again. When the cadets dispersed to their bunks, I was still on the ground, silently giggling to myself. Then a pair of clean brown boots stopped in front of my face.
"Aria, Is that you?" he asked. I looked up and saw Jean standing there looking down at me in disbelief.
"It's been a long time Jean." I stood and looked up at him. Damn him for being taller than me. The next thing I know, I'm in his embrace.
"I thought you were dead! I went to see the survivors to see if you made it but I didn't see you! When they told me that Shiganshina had fallen I assumed the worst." He cried. I hugged him back and we just stayed there until the dinner bell rang. We walked to the mess hall hand in hand. When we got there everyone else was already there. A boy at one of the center tables was standing and waving us over. He had short black hair and his face was dusted with freckles. His eyes were a deep brown. We went over and sat down. It seemed as though he had saved some plates for us.
"Hi, I'm Marco Bodt. You guys looked like you needed some time to catch up so I saved you some soup." He said. He sounded like the kind of person who would smile through anything. I looked over at Jean and I had to do a double take. He was blushing like actually blushing.
"Th-thanks man, we owe ya one." He stuttered out.
"Yeah, thanks. I'm Aria by the way." We were all sitting on the same side of the bench with Jean in between Marco and I. I decided to play a little matchmaker so I began to slowly inch towards the center of the bench, being as discreet as possible. By the time the bell for lights out rang, I was in the center of the tiny bench and Jean was practically on top of the freckled boy. We all got up and began to file out of the mess hall but Jean pulled me aside when I made it outside.
"What the hell was that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play coy with me. You know exactly what you were doing back there. Being all sneaky and stuff pushing me towards Marco"
"Well you obviously like him so I don't see what the problem is. I always knew you would end up gay." At my comment he went a deep shade of crimson from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears.
"Well yeah, maybe I do, but you didn't have to embarrass me like that. He probably likes girls anyways."
"We best go find out then huh!" I shouted excitedly. I grabbed his arm and began to drag him to the boys bunk. I knocked on the door hard with excitement. A boy with a super thin buzz cut and gray eyes answered the door. "We need to speak with Marco please."
"Hey Marco, its Jean and that Aria chick, she says they need to speak with you." He yelled back into the bunk house.
"I'll be there in a second Connie" we heard him yell back from inside. Then the door opened more and there was Marco. He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him. "What's up guys?"
"Look, I just want to say I'm sorry for pushing Jean on you at dinner but there is something I gotta know. Did you like it, if you're picking up what I'm putting down." I asked. Marco went pink with blush and his hand went up to rub the back of his neck. He started to chuckle awkwardly. He nodded. When he did I was so happy that I actually squealed. I yanked Jean –who had started to walk away- around and pushed him into Marco. They fell on top of each other and I started running. "See ya in the morning guys, bright and early." I ran all the way to the girls bunk and went inside to find all of the girls looking at me with huge grins plastered to their faces. I knew at once that they were watching from the window. I gained many friends that night and for the first time in a while, I went to sleep with a smile on my face.
